One step forward, two back in Libya
An IS attack on the Tripoli HQ of Libya’s battered oil industry has presented the sector with its sternest test yet
Two suicide bombers fought their way into the National Oil Corporation's (NOC) glass-fronted downtown headquarters in Tripoli on 10 September, spraying corridors with gunfire and killing two staff, with another 10 wounded. NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah escaped from the building during the fighting, which saw both terrorists killed. He later issued a statement underlining the vulnerability of the industry to a terrorist onslaught: "This attack did not cause a loss of production. However, it led to the shedding of Libyan blood. This attack is indicative of the weakness and fragility of the security arrangements in the country." The attack came hard on the heels of nine days of fighting that ra

Also in this section
14 April 2025
US consumers are not likely to see gasoline prices fall to Trump’s ‘beautiful number’, at least if the president also wants to encourage more drilling
11 April 2025
The Gulf state’s offer to supply electricity-starved Syria is an opportunity to support a key ally, but Doha’s ambitions to build broader pipeline networks to Turkey and Europe face challenges
11 April 2025
As the global economy grows, demand for materials is expected to increase. The way materials are made could incorporate new technologies in the future to ensure economic growth is more sustainable
10 April 2025
Technology, policy and narrative are the three biggest factors that could change the course of our 2050 outlook